Currently known full-size baby cribs with dropside gates have vertical mattress adjustments of only 8 to 9 inches.
It is desirable to increase this mattress height adjustment because: 1) a mother with a new baby experiences less back strain when the top of the crib mattress is at a height of about 36 inches above the floor (standard working-counter height) to eliminate stooping when moving the infant in or out of the crib, and; 2) as the baby grows and begins to pull up to a standing position, the top of the mattress should be only 18 inches above the floor, which allows the mother to readily lift the infant when the infant is in a standing position. Also, when the infant is capable of standing in the crib it is important that the vertical distance from the top of the mattress to the top of the closed gate be sufficient to prevent the infant from climbing or falling out of the crib.
Instead of an adjustment of the mattress height of only 8 to 9 inches as is presently provided, the height adjustment should therefore be the difference between 36 inches and 18 inches, or about 18 inches. An approach to solving a part of this problem is taught in applicant's prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,880, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Existing full size baby cribs with dropside gates have been almost identical in function and adjustability for many years. The available mattress positions, gate height and gate travel have thus been very restricted.
A "flush" mattress, i.e. one which is equal to or higher than the height of the lowered gate, is not allowed, according to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), because of the obvious danger. 16 CFR 1508.3(b)1 specifies a minimum of 9 inches vertical protection from the mattress platform to the top of the lowered gate when the platform is in its highest position. In addition 16 CFR 1508.3(b)2 specifies the protection from the lowest mattress platform position to the top of the raised gate to be 26 inches minimum.
Prior art cribs typically have gates which are about 28 inches high and have a vertical travel of only about 7 inches between two stopped gate positions--full up and full down. Existing cribs have a metal strip mounted on each of the four corner posts, which strips are capable of supporting the mattress platform at one of several vertical positions. The maximum distance between the highest and lowest mattress position is about 81/2 inches in known cribs.
While the described prior art crib configuration meets the aforementioned Federal Regulations for crib safety, such configuration does not adequately satisfy the strained back problem of new mothers nor the safety of the infant.